(11/16/23)

By Blake Podhajsky, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation

Blake Podhajsky, ACI President

As I write this, I am looking out the window taking in the beauty of the fall foliage and wishing I took the day off to enjoy the near perfect weather outside. The clack of my keyboard can’t be heard because of my co-worker’s giddy excitement as they huddle around their phones thumbing through trail cam photos of 10-point bucks grazing below their deer stands. On my second computer monitor, I have the extended weather forecast pulled up to tell me when to go fishing this weekend or go on my next work assignment. Of course, behind that browser window is a grocery list for Thanksgiving dinner as I prepare to spend time with my family eating too much food and playing backyard football to burn those calories.

Fall is one of my favorite times of year with all the outdoor activities and wonderful opportunities available for us as outdoors enthusiasts and conservation communicators. Lately, I have spent a considerable amount of time in the field gathering video and photos for our Department of Wildlife communication efforts and I constantly am reminded how fortunate we are to have these instances. 

With Thanksgiving Day upon us, I’m inclined to reflect on these moments and be filled with gratitude. As conservation communicators, we get to experience the outdoors for our careers. We get to share the joys of the outdoors through our writings, photography, video, and other communication efforts. We get to work in a space that renders countless opportunities for us to enjoy what many people can’t with regularity. As an ACI community, I hope you feel as blessed as I do, to get to share and experience the outdoors with others.

Thank you all for the wonderful work you do around the country. I hope you can make the time this fall to experience the outdoors with friends and family and share your time with those you love this holiday season.